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New report says workers need not fear manufacturing automation

Some experts predict up to 800 million manufacturing jobs worldwide could be "automated away" in the next eight years.

A new study from the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) says the number for the United States alone could be as great as 73 million or as low as 39 million, depending on what actions are taken to help usher in the advances of automation.

The MGI reports says that robotics need not be feared in Revolution 4.0:

If the latest automation advancements became widely adopted today, only 5% of current occupations stand to be completely automated. In fact, 60% of jobs will see a third of their activities automated rather than complete job lost. And it is also important to remember that automation will be creating jobs as much as it is replacing certain tasks. While predictable physical work (such as assembly and manufacturing work) will see a 31% reduction due to automation, professions like infrastructure repair, engineers, architects, and computer engineers will see an increase of 34 to 35%.